October 19, 2023

expert reaction to study on non-invasive deep brain stimulation

A study published in Nature Neuroscience explores a non-invasive deep brain stimulation technique aimed at memory performance. 

Dr Leah Mursaleen, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK says:

“Although there are some promising new drugs in the pipeline for people with early Alzheimer’s disease, they have not yet been approved by regulators and, even if they are, they may not be suitable for everyone. With nearly 1 million people living with the dementia in the UK today, it’s crucial that we also look at other ways that can help people manage their symptoms.

“Although deep brain stimulation is available as a treatment option for some brain conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, current techniques require complicated brain surgery. So, it’s fantastic to see UK-based researchers exploring promising new ways to reach the brain that don’t require invasive procedures. 

“It is important to note that this study was done in a small group of healthy volunteers. Therefore, the results of the next clinical trial, which will assess this exciting technique in people with early Alzheimer’s disease, will give us more insight to see if this technique can help improve their memory.”

Dr Francesco Tamagnini, Lecturer in Pharmacology and Alzheimer’s researcher, University of Reading, said:

“This work shows interesting results demonstrating that the non-invasive administration of electrical fields in the brain can aid memory performance in healthy adults. These observations are encouraging as they show this technique could be used for the non-pharmacological treatment of brain disorders leading to cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, the sample size is still relatively small to justify the clinical translation of this technique. Providing adequate and easier access to research funds is essential to ensure that important research such as this one, finds the right opportunity to be translated into clinical practice and provide to the betterment of our life.”

Dr Julian Mutz, Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, said:

“Deep brain stimulation, which involves the surgical implantation of electrodes into the brain, is an effective treatment for difficult to treat Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. It has also been studied in psychiatric disorders, such as treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive and mood disorders. Due to its invasive nature, deep brain stimulation is limited to the most difficult-to-treat patients. Brain stimulation treatments that can be delivered non-invasively, such as transcranial magnetic or electrical stimulation, are less focal and limited in their ability to modulate deeper regions of the brain.

“The study led by Drs Grossman and Violante validates a non-invasive brain stimulation technology, called temporal interference, for the first time in humans. The authors show, in a sample of 20 healthy volunteers, that this technique can selectively modulate activity in a deep brain region, the hippocampus, without affecting the overlaying cortical tissue. The authors also provide preliminary evidence, in a separate sample of 21 healthy volunteers, that temporal interference can improve certain aspects of episodic memory, highlighting its future potential as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The demonstrated safety of this technology in humans opens up many possibilities for future clinical studies in psychiatric and neurological disorders, and could be a game-changer for mechanistic studies in human neuroscience.”

Prof Richard Morris FRS, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, said:

“This work is potentially an astonishing step forward and I congratulate the authors in developing their non-invasive targeting of focal stimulation in deep brain structures such as the hippocampus. Likewise, testing with a face-name association task was well chosen. My copy of the paper did not include the figures, so I should be cautious, but cautious welcome though it must be, the potential of avoiding invasive surgery with electrodes is a very welcome development”

Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: 

“This is incredible technology. Currently, treatments that stimulate areas deep in the brain are used in Parkinson’s disease, but this involves invasive surgery which can take months to recover from. This study shows that it is possible to do deep brain stimulation simply by wearing a headset. What’s more, this stimulation can improve performance in memory tasks in healthy people.

“Dementia is a devastating terminal illness and the UK’s biggest killer, so it really is exciting to see research opening up whole new areas for future treatment, but it’s still very early days. We’re looking forward to seeing how the study develops, particularly how long-lasting the changes could be for people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Thanks to Alzheimer’s Society’s research network, people living with dementia were able to give the technology a test-run, resulting in the researchers improving the headset’s comfort, and making it possible to be worn at home rather than just in the clinic. It’s absolutely vital to have people living with dementia at the heart of studies like this so the final product is designed around them.”

‘Non-invasive temporal interference electrical stimulation of the human hippocampus’ by Ines R. Violante et al. was published in Nature Neuroscience at 16:00 UK time on Thursday 19^th October.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01456-8

Declared interests

Dr Julian Mutz: No COIs

Prof Richard Morris: No declarations of interest

For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.